Camping with a Baby Bismarck ND

Parents who say they can’t take the baby camping do have some valid concerns, so let’s chat about them. Where baby will sleep depends on what kind of camping you’re doing, but in most cases taking a small, lightweight travel crib is a viable option (unless you’re survivalist camping in a one person tent…then you might want to rethink the whole bringing baby thing).

Camping with a Baby

I’ve actually have heard and read this several times. It’s usually followed with statements like,

1. Where will she sleep?

2. But she still takes bottles!

3. He doesn’t even sleep through the night yet!

(My personal favorite is #3 since I can identify with that misery…uh…that experience.)

The easy responses are;

1. In the travel crib.

2. So, um…take the bottles.

3. Then what’s the difference if he wakes up at 2am at home or in the wilderness?

But really, parents who say they can’t take the baby camping do have some valid concerns, so let’s chat about them. Where baby will sleep depends on what kind of camping you’re doing, but in most cases taking a small, lightweight travel crib is a viable option (unless you’re survivalist camping in a one person tent…then you might want to rethink the whole bringing baby thing). My friend has twin boys. She and her husband took them tent camping for a weekend when they were about 16 months old. Did it take some extra planning? It sure did. Extra packing too. But they did what many parents are afraid to do and they had a wonderful time. In their case, a large tent was able to accommodate the travel cribs.

The perfect spot for baby!

My husband and I have 2 boys also, but we have an RV and floor space is at a premium. Our hybrid travel trailer has 2 pop-out beds on either end, so our 2 year old slept happily in the rear bed. The baby, who at the time was 9 months old and too young not to have walls or a barrier around him, slept in his travel crib on the pulled out jackknife sofa. And since my boys are accustomed to sleeping in very dark rooms, I was able to drape a dark sheet around the crib from the upper cabinets. Eat your heart out MacGyver. (As a side note: industrial strength sticky backed hook and loop fastener is a must have for mod-happy RVers.) Just like home…sort of. We were able to use several bungee cords to make sure the crib stayed put.

If you have water at your campsite (or in the campground facilities), use it to wash the bottles. But if you prefer, bring a couple gallons of bottled water and a little plastic tub for washing. One more thing to wash, but it’s worth it. We take a few bottles and use the campground water for washing/rinsing the bottles and use bottled water for mixing the formula. (And gosh, if you’re breastfeeding, you have even less to pack!)

Sometimes baby can get a little confused with the new surroundings, so don’t be surprised if you spend a little more time doing the bedtime routine or rubbing Junior’s back till he falls asleep. If your baby still wakes at night at home, he’ll probably do the same thing camping. I have heard stories where baby sleeps far better (and later) while camping than at home. We’re still waiting for that to happen to us. I won’t hold my breath.

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